Idiopathic hypoglycemia
Encyclopedia
Idiopathic hypoglycemia is, literally, a medical condition in which the glucose
level in the blood
(blood glucose) is abnormally low due to an undeterminable cause. This is considered an incomplete and unsatisfactory diagnosis
by physicians and is rarely used by endocrinologists, as it implies an unfinished diagnostic evaluation. In general, the more severe the hypoglycemia
and the more clearly it is proven, the less likely it is to remain "idiopathic
".
Idiopathic hypoglycemia can also be a synonym for reactive hypoglycemia
or for hypoglycemia that is not diagnosed by a physician and does not fulfill the Whipple triad criteria. A more precise term for that condition is idiopathic postprandial syndrome
.
Glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
level in the blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
(blood glucose) is abnormally low due to an undeterminable cause. This is considered an incomplete and unsatisfactory diagnosis
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
by physicians and is rarely used by endocrinologists, as it implies an unfinished diagnostic evaluation. In general, the more severe the hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood"...
and the more clearly it is proven, the less likely it is to remain "idiopathic
Idiopathic
Idiopathic is an adjective used primarily in medicine meaning arising spontaneously or from an obscure or unknown cause. From Greek ἴδιος, idios + πάθος, pathos , it means approximately "a disease of its own kind". It is technically a term from nosology, the classification of disease...
".
Idiopathic hypoglycemia can also be a synonym for reactive hypoglycemia
Reactive hypoglycemia
Reactive hypoglycemia, or postprandial hypoglycemia, is a medical term describing recurrent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring within 4 hours after a high carbohydrate meal in people who do not have diabetes...
or for hypoglycemia that is not diagnosed by a physician and does not fulfill the Whipple triad criteria. A more precise term for that condition is idiopathic postprandial syndrome
Idiopathic postprandial syndrome
Idiopathic postprandial syndrome is a medical term describing a collection of symptoms popularly attributed to hypoglycemia but without demonstrably low blood glucose levels.People with this condition suffer from recurrent episodes of altered mood and cognitive...
.